Local Color: Wildflowers, etc. of the University of Maryland Campus. Part 2.

This post completes a description of plants I encountered during a recent afternoon walk in the northeastern part of campus. There was a lot more that I haven't included. For example, the large pond in front of the Research Green House is covered by a grid of wires, presumably to exclude Canada geese, but it fortunately does not exclude other birds. I saw three or four green herons during my expedition, and, more recently, I saw a belted kingfisher trying to perch on the wires and a great blue heron standing like a statue in the shallows.  It's worth a visit.

Map

Say good bye to the ash trees, Fraxinus sp., damaged by emerald ash borers near the Shuttle Bus Depot. As you probably know, the ash trees of eastern North America are being devastated by this invasive buprestid beetle. You can still see unaffected ashes around (I have seen a lot in Frederick County), but it is only a matter of time. I was disturbed to learn that a pretty tree closely related to ashes, the white fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus: Oleaceae) is also susceptible to emerald ash borers. It's sad to think we could lose this tree, as well.

Left: Phragmites australis australis. Common Reed. Family Poaceae (Grass Family).  Exotic subspecies (Europe), perennial, aquatic-semiaquatic. This tall (up to 18 feet) reed with its large, loose terminal inflorescence is common in wetlands in our region and around the world. It appears to have replaced the native subspecies, P. australis americanus, over much of its range and has even taken over habitats where the native version never existed. (See Mistaken Identity, pp.34-35 for a comparison.) Its dense growth degrades habitats for other plants and wildlife. See a big patch of this stuff just north of the Shuttle Bus Depot.
Right: Smilax rotundifolia. Common Greenbrier. Family Smilacaceae (Greenbrier Family). Native, perennial, vine.  This vine is probably painfully familiar to anyone who wanders about outside. Its broad ovate to heart-shaped leaves camouflage sharp 1-inch spines that grow along the stem. Those vines that tend to "take over" a habitat are generally assumed to be invasives like kudzu or porcelain berry, but this native can also cover substantial areas when conditions are right. Check along the east side of Paint Branch Drive for an impenetrable wall of greenbrier.

Liriope spicata. Creeping Lilyturf. Family Asparagaceae (Asparagus Family). Exotic (East Asia), perennial. I found these small plants (left and center photos), with spikes of light lavender flowers and long grass-like leaves, growing at the edge of the lawn near Parking Lot 5. It spreads by both seeds and rhizomes and is widely planted on campus as an ornamental (photo on right foreground and inset taken on the west end of Cambridge Hall), along with its close relative L. muscari or Big Blue Lilyturf (photo on right toward the back), which lacks the rhizomes. There is a large planting of L. muscari in front of the Biosciences Research Building, strangled by field bindweed (see below) and crown vetch. In 2012 the National Park Service issued an invasive plant alert for L. spicata. So, what else is new?

Left: Lythrum solicaria. Purple Loosestrife. Family Lythraceae (Loosestrife Family). Exotic (Eurasia), perennial, wetland invasive. Growing up in Michigan, I developed mixed feelings about this plant. It grew in profusion along the banks and shallows of old millponds along the Kalamazoo River, creating a real spectacle of purple during the summer. On the other hand, the plant grows in such density that other plants, wildlife and fish can be excluded. The plant is invasive in Maryland, as well, but it is doesn't seem to be as big a problem. Each of the ponds on the map have at least some Lythrum.
Right: Pontederia chordata. Pickerelweed. Family Pontederiaceae (Water-Hyacinth Family). Native, perennial, aquatic to semiaquatic. An attractive plant that is common in many shallow aquatic environments throughout the temperate and tropical New World. It has large simple (lanceolate) to arrowhead-like (sagittate) leaves and a spike of blue flowers at the end of a robust stalk. After the flowers are gone, the stalk bends to the water surface to disperse the seeds. Every pond on the map seems to have at least some pickerelweed.

Left: Vernonia novaboracensis. New York Ironweed. Family Asteraceae (Aster Family). Native, perennial. A common sight in moist fields throughout Maryland during late summer. It has a tall stalk (2-7 feet) with alternating lanceolate leaves and a terminal branched, flat-topped inflorescence of purple flowers. Tony Stark's favorite plant gets its name (apparently) from the persistent stalk that lasts throughout the winter. Although common in Maryland, it is not abundant on the part of campus I visited. The specimen depicted above was found on the shore of the large pond behind the Xfinity Center.
Middle: Persicaria pensylvanica. Pennsylvania Smartweed. Family Polygonaceae (Buckwheat Family). Native, perennial, semiaquatic to moist fields. May grow up to 6 feet. A common inhabitat of wetlands, its seeds are an important source of food for waterfowl and other birds as well as some small mammals. It is found at all the ponds, ditches, etc. in the map, often in dense clumps.
Right: Pycnanthemum muticum. Clustered Mountain-mint. Family Lamiaceae (Mint Family). Native, perennial. There are several species of mountain-mint in Maryland. They release a strong minty odor when touched or brushed against and attract a wide range of pollinators. Find them in the raised areas near the ditches across Paint Branch Dr. from Parking Lot 5.

Left: Cynanchum laeve. Honeyvine. Family Apocynaceae (Dogbane Family). Native, perennial, vine. This was a surprise for me... a milkweed in vine form. It can even serve as a host for monarch larvae. If it weren't for the flowers, I would have assumed that the vine was a convolvulacean bindweed (see next plant). The blossoms produce an intensely sweet odor that attracts a lot of pollinators, especially skippers. See and smell it behind the Geology Building ... before the groundskeepers remove it.
Right: Convolvulus arvensis. Field Bindweed. Family Convolvulaceae (Morning-glory Family). Exotic (Eurasia), perennial, vine. This is a common weed throughout Maryland and throughout the campus. I have seen this vine form a wall as it climbs on the outer row of plants in corn and sunflower fields. The pictured specimen is covering a holly in front of the Biology-Psychology Building.

Just goes to show that the stuff people overlook or dismiss as "weeds" all have a story. Take some time to check them out.